Radisson, which has just passed the 100-hotel mark, either open or planned for Africa, Hilton, which plans to open more than 100 hotels to reach 180 establishments across the continent, and Accor, which is solidifying its presence in Morocco: the African hotel industry has been at the centre of major hotel groups' news in recent days.
Admittedly, according to W Hospitality's annual study, Accor dominates the market with Marriott, the French hotel group having nearly 40,000 rooms, while the American group is close to 30,000, twice as many as Hilton or Radisson. However, these two groups have strengthened their positions as challengers by accelerating their growth in Africa in recent months.
Hilton, in particular, has accelerated its efforts, concluding nearly 30 deals last year. The American group therefore plans to open more than 100 hotels in the coming years, more than half of which will be in sub-Saharan Africa. This will lead to offering, in the medium term, including this pipeline, more than 180 hotels from the north to the south of the continent.
With 15 countries involved in these new projects, Hilton is preparing to make its debut in several key destinations, starting with Gabon, in Libreville. For its entry into the Gabonese capital, the American group is participating in the development of a new district, the Baie des Rois, a vast waterfront development programme dominated by the 200m-high Tour de Libreville. The future Hilton Libreville will offer 101 rooms and suites in 2027 and, for business travellers, an executive lounge, a co-working space, a ballroom and four meeting rooms, in addition to a spa and an outdoor pool. Spearheaded by the Turkish group FB, this project will also see the appearance of a 116-room Hilton Garden Inn, equipped with meeting rooms.
Following in their footsteps, other hotels from the group will soon mark the way for business travellers. Also as part of the partnership between Hilton and the FB group, the mid-range Hilton Garden Inn brand will be established this year at Freetown Airport, as part of an expansion project for the Sierra Leone capital's hub, to turn it into a centre dedicated to business and international exhibitions. In this context, the future Hilton Garden Inn Freetown Airport will benefit from its proximity to the Lungi Congress Centre and will offer 110 rooms, an outdoor swimming pool and four meeting rooms.
If this hotel is a first for Sierra Leone, Hilton will re-establish a presence in Chad with a business hotel located in the heart of the capital, close to the airport and administrative and diplomatic institutions. Expected at the beginning of September, the Hilton N’Djamena Toumai Palace will boast 243 rooms and suites and a substantial MICE space with a banquet hall and four meeting rooms.
Further south on the continent, the American group will also offer a new business hotel in the Zambian capital in 2027, the Hilton Lusaka Pyramid, with an event space of over 4,000 m². Regarding the metropolises of Central and Southern Africa, Hilton also plans to enter Angola through three brands – Hilton Luanda Hotel Godinho, Hilton Garden Inn Luanda Airport and DoubleTree by Hilton Cabinda Futila Residences – as well as in Madagascar with a Hilton and a Hilton Garden Inn in Antananarivo.
In parallel, in West Africa, the American hotelier will also make its debut in Benin, with the Hilton Cotonou, as well as in Togo with the signing of the DoubleTree by Hilton Lomé Airport. And even before that, as early as this year, in Ghana with the Hilton Accra Cantonments.
Radisson Hits 100 Hotels in Africa
Like Hilton, the Radisson group also has a busy opening schedule with the completion, over the last twelve months, of several projects that will add nearly 2,500 new rooms to its portfolio.
Within this context, the group is preparing to discover new destinations with hotels in Zimbabwe as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While in Zimbabwe, the group anticipates a hotel residence in the capital, Harare, by 2028, followed by a leisure hotel overlooking Zambezi National Park – the Park Inn by Radisson Victoria Falls – its debut in Congo will materialise by the end of this year with a Radisson Blu in Kinshasa. Located in the Gombe district, this upscale hotel will offer 110 rooms and suites, including a presidential suite, and will provide business travellers with everything they need for relaxation, with an outdoor pool with a terrace, as well as for professional meetings with meeting and event spaces.
However, the American hotelier's offering will not be limited to Kinshasa and will also extend to the country's second-largest city, Lubumbashi. The "copper capital" will therefore see the opening of a Radisson branded hotel in mid-2027, near Lake Kipopo, featuring 97 rooms and three modular meeting rooms. This first link will be complemented the following year by another Radisson, close to the airport, aimed at accommodating airline crews and business travellers with its 105 rooms, swimming pool and meeting rooms. Finally, by 2030, the group will offer a long-term accommodation solution with a Radisson Blu Apartments residence in Lubumbashi's golf district.
However, as Elie Younes, Radisson's global development director, points out, his group's growth is focused on towards a geographical concentration in Morocco and Nigeria With four hotels currently in Nigeria, all located in Lagos, the group will soon offer 13. While the Nigerian megacity will see the arrival of the luxurious Radisson Collection Hotel, Lagos Atlantic in the Victoria Island business district by 2029, the group will also explore new territories.
The capital, Abuja, for example, has three establishments in preparation, while one of the country's main industrial cities, Aba, not far from Port-Harcourt, is also included in this expansion programme. The same applies to Yenagoa, a city that is gradually establishing itself as an administrative and commercial hub in southern Nigeria. To support this growth, a new Radisson business hotel will open next year, focusing on conferences with its 196 rooms – including 16 junior suites, four executive suites and two presidential suites – and its numerous meeting spaces.
Other major business hotels are in the pipeline and represent expansion ambitions in Morocco. In addition to a Radisson Blu resort in Marrakech in 2028, the group will strengthen its presence in Casablanca with a venue dedicated to corporate meetings, the Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Casablanca Bouskoura. Located in close proximity to the Palm Golf Palmeraie Country Club, this 119-key establishment, including eight suites, will boast a rooftop restaurant, a large outdoor swimming pool, and a conference centre. Meanwhile, the Radisson brand is heading to the outskirts of the capital with the Radisson Hotel & Apartments Rabat Technopolis. Situated in a business park dedicated to innovation and research, this new hotel will be divided into two buildings: one housing a 140-room hotel with four dining areas and meeting rooms, and the other a 56-unit residence.
This long-stay offer will also be developed in Egypt in 2030, in Greater Cairo, with the Radisson Serviced Apartments COY Sheikh Zayed City, and before that in South Africa, in 2029, in the heart of the Umhlanga business district, a seaside metropolis north of Durban. This is part of the group's other guidelines, that of " strengthen our presence in South Africa with a concrete pipeline under construction », also explained Elie Younes.
